Netanyahu ally confirms delays in West Bank annexation plan
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UN, EU and Arab nations say the annexation would violate international law
The
Associated Press · Posted: Jul 01, 2020 9:31 AM ET | Last Updated:
July 1
The
Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, the largest in the occupied West
Bank, is seen with a view the Jerusalem skyline in the background.
(Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images)
A
confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the
Israeli leader's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank would
not start on Wednesday, the original target date, as the United
Kingdom's prime minister made an extraordinary appeal to call off the
plan.
The
developments cast further uncertainty over whether Israel will
ultimately follow through on the annexation initiative, which has
drawn international condemnation from some of its closest
allies.
Speaking
on Israel's Army Radio station, cabinet minister Ofir Akunis
confirmed that the annexation process would not begin on Wednesday,
saying that officials were still working out the final details with
their American counterparts. He said he expected the annexation to
take place later in July.
"Co-ordination
with the American administration is not something that can be
dismissed," he said.
Netanyahu
had aimed to start the process by Wednesday, saying he wants to begin
annexing West Bank territory in line with U.S. President Donald
Trump's Mideast plan. The plan, unveiled in January, envisions
bringing some 30 per cent of the territory under permanent
Israeli control, while giving the Palestinians limited autonomy in
carved-up pockets of the remaining land.
The
prime minister's office issued a statement saying Netanyahu held
discussions Wednesday with American diplomats and Israeli defence
officials on the issue of annexation, and that "additional
discussions will be be held in the coming days."
The
plan has come under stiff international criticism. The United
Nations, the European Union and key Arab countries have all said
Israel's annexation would violate international law and undermine the
already diminished prospects of establishing a viable independent
Palestinian state alongside Israel. Even close allies, like the U.K.,
have opposed it.
Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talks with Likud Knesset member
Ofir Akunis (right) during a meeting in parliament. Akunis confirmed
that the Israeli leader's plan to annex parts of the occupied West
Bank would not start on Wednesday. (Gali Tibbon/AFP/Getty Images)
In
a front-page article in the Yediot Ahronot daily, one of Israel's
largest newspapers, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote that as a
"passionate defender of Israel," he was particularly
troubled by its intentions. He noted his long links to Israel, dating
back to when he volunteered on a kibbutz as an 18-year-old and his
"many visits" since then.
"As
a life-long friend, admirer and supporter of Israel, I am fearful
that these proposals will fail in their objective of securing
Israel's borders and will be contrary to Israel's own long-term
interests," Johnson wrote, saying that annexation "would
put in jeopardy" the gains Israel has made in recent years in
improving relations with the Arab world.
"I
profoundly hope that annexation does not go ahead. If it does, the UK
will not recognize any changes to the 1967 lines, except those agreed
between both parties," he said.
France added
its voice to those opposing the plans on Wednesday, with the
nation's foreign minister saying that any Israeli annexation in
the occupied West Bank would be in violation of international law and
would have consequences.
"Annexation
of Palestinian territories, whatever the perimeters, would seriously
throw into question the parameters to resolve the conflict,"
Jean-Yves Le Drian told a parliamentary hearing.
"An
annexation decision could not be left without consequences, and we
are examining different options at a national level and also in
co-ordination with our main European partners."
'Day of rage'
Israel
captured the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast war. Much of
the international community considers the territory occupied land,
and Israel's more than 120 settlements there illegal. The
Palestinians, who seek all of the West Bank as part of a future
state, have rejected Trump's plan.
Several
thousand Palestinians marched in Gaza City for a "day of rage"
on Wednesday to protest the annexation plans, one of several
demonstrations that were expected in Palestinian areas. The
protesters waved Palestinian flags and held signs calling the plan a
"declaration of war" on the Palestinian people. The rally
ended peacefully by the early afternoon.
Demonstrators
in Gaza City took part in a rally on Wednesday as Palestinians called
for a 'day of rage' to protest Israel's plan to annex parts of the
Israeli-occupied West Bank. (Mohammed Salem/Reuters)
While
building scores of settlements that are now home to nearly 500,000
Israelis, Israel has never tried to annex West Bank territory before,
saying the area is "disputed" and that its final status
should be settled through negotiations.
Netanyahu
has defended his annexation plan on both security and religious
grounds and says the friendly Trump administration has provided a
rare opportunity to redraw Israel's borders. He is eager to move
forward before November's U.S. presidential election, especially with
Trump's re-election prospects in question, and made sure that the
coalition agreement for his new government included the July 1 date
for him to introduce a plan to parliament.
But
beyond the international opposition, Netanyahu has encountered some
resistance from his Blue and White governing partners. Blue and
White's leader, Defence Minister Benny Gantz, this week said
Wednesday's target date was not "sacred" and suggested that
annexation can wait while the government grapples with Israel's
coronavirus crisis.
U.S.
officials have said they do not want to move forward with a plan
unless the two leaders are in agreement. Israeli media also reported
that Israel is seeking changes to a proposed U.S. map for
annexation, and that American officials are demanding an Israeli
gesture to the Palestinians as compensation for any annexation that
takes place.
The
UN, EU and key Arab countries have said Israel's annexation would
violate international law and undermine the prospects of a viable
independent Palestinian state. (Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images)
Dovish
Israeli groups have been holding street protests against the
annexation plan, which has also encountered surprising
opposition from some of the West Bank settlers themselves, who fear
having to recognize a de facto Palestinian state and find themselves
engulfed in isolated enclaves.
The
majority of them, however, are pressuring Netanyahu to follow
through, launching a campaign titled, "You made a promise —
keep it."
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